Knighten Family Funds Three UAMS College of Nursing Scholarships

By Nate Hinkel

 
Understanding the critical role nurses play in health care, Sharon Knighten, of Harrison, recently presented a check for $100,000 to Claudia Barone, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the UAMS College of Nursing, to establish three scholarships in the college.
Kim Knighten Oelke and Sharon Harwood Knighten present a check for $100,000 to UAMS College of Nursing Dean Claudia Barone, Ph.D., R.N., and UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D.
Kim Knighten Oelke and Sharon Harwood Knighten present a check for $100,000 to UAMS College of Nursing Dean Claudia Barone, Ph.D., R.N., and UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D.
Kim Knighten Oelke, College of Nursing Dean Claudia Barone, Ph.D., R.N., and Sharon Harwood Knighten celebrate the Knighten family’s announcement of three endowed scholarships.

| Kim Knighten Oelke, College of Nursing Dean Claudia Barone, Ph.D., R.N., and Sharon Harwood Knighten celebrate the Knighten family’s announcement of three endowed scholarships.
Sharon Harwood Knighten visits with UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., after the Knighten family announced a gift of $100,000 to the UAMS College of Nursing to establish three endowed scholarships.

Sharon Harwood Knighten visits with UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., after the Knighten family announced a gift of $100,000 to the UAMS College of Nursing to establish three endowed scholarships.

Understanding the critical role nurses play in health care, Sharon Knighten, of Harrison, recently presented a check for $100,000 to Claudia Barone, Ed.D., R.N., dean of the UAMS College of Nursing, to establish three scholarships in the college.

This generous gift will enable the college to provide financial support for qualified nursing students pursuing surgical nursing, oncology nursing, or who desire to become family nurse practitioners in the rural areas of the state where health care is limited.

“They [nurses] are like a bridge between your physician and you, and they are the glue that holds it all together,” said Knighten. “I think they play a very important part in one’s health.”

Kim Knighten Oelke, the daughter of Sharon Knighten, is a 1982 graduate of the UAMS College of Nursing. Kim is working on her master’s degree, with a clinical nurse specialist focus, and works as a family nurse practitioner.

“I’m very proud of my mother for doing this. I think nurses are some of the most important people in medicine,” said Oelke. “They deal with the patients one on one every day, and I think we need to continue to provide educational opportunities for these professionals.”

“Mrs. Knighten’s gift and legacy will live on forever, and we are extremely grateful for this opportunity,” said Barone. “We’re grateful for the gift but also for our relationship with this incredible woman and her family.”

The UAMS College of Nursing has 651 students. For the 2009-10 academic year, approximately 200 students across its bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate programs received College of Nursing scholarships. The following three Knighten family scholarships will be awarded beginning this fall:

Kim Knighten Oelke Family Nurse Practitioner Scholarship
Established by Sharon Knighten in honor of her daughter, Kim Oelke, this scholarship will support master’s students in the family nurse practitioner specialty who demonstrate academic achievement, financial need and are active in community service.

Sharon Knighten Oncology Nursing Scholarship
Established by the Knighten family, in honor of Sharon Knighten, this scholarship will support undergraduate nursing students committed to a career in oncology and who demonstrate academic achievement and financial need.

M.B. Knighten Memorial Surgical Nursing Scholarship
Established by the Knighten family in memory of M.B. Knighten, this scholarship will support undergraduate nursing students committed to a career in surgical nursing and who demonstrate academic achievement and financial need.

For a complete list of nursing scholarships, click here.